[praemonitus praemunitus]

"Breathe, Tessa, breathe," Tessa whispered to herself, her chest heaving with each deep breath. She dragged her hand through her hair before burying her face within her hands.

Tessa wasn't sure how long she'd been seated at the banks of the River Tiber, but being near the water was enough to help erode away the ridges of her panic. Seeing Madi's bloodstained room only added more cracks to the vessel that was her sanity, and with each shiver down her spine, Tessa wondered what else was just waiting around the bend.

With a set of her jaw, Tessa balled her hands into fists. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She was supposed to be freed of this burden that was her monstrosity of a life. All of the quests, all of the battles, all of it was supposed to be behind her, and yet New Rome University had become the harbinger for a new chapter of horrors in her life. First, the look-alikes; then, the prophecy; and now, Madi being framed as a murderer?

A shudder shook Tessa's body, and suddenly the whistling wind in her ears sounded like Vinny's maniacal laugh, taunting her from their battlefield three thousand years ago.

The sound of footsteps filled the air, and swift as an adder, Tessa had drawn Tempest and was standing. Her red-rimmed turquoise eyes widened as she spotted who it was, and Tessa lowered her sword.

"Charlie," She exhaled. "Hi."

The sheepish son of Vulcan put his hands up in mock surrender, a goofy smile on his lips. "Was I interrupting something?"

Tessa laughed wryly, stuffing Tempest back into her pocket in its dormant form. "Unless you count bemoaning my bad fortune, then no."

Charlie arched a dark brow. "Bad fortune?"

Instantly, Tessa felt herself standing on that precipice she hadn't managed to move from. One wrong word, and she'd be fanning the flames into an inferno. "Don't worry about it," She managed, feigning a smile.

The son of Vulcan didn't seem convinced, but Tessa brushed his calculating look off. "So what's up?"

Charlie shrugged. "Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. It's not every day that I find people sitting by the river." He nodded behind him, towards an intricate metallic building that must have been the forges of Camp Jupiter.

Tessa took a ragged breath, wiping away the remnants of her panic-induced tears. "Well, I'm fine. Thank you for checking with me, Charlie, but really, I'm okay."

"At least let me walk you back to campus," The tall boy beamed, and for a split second, Tessa wanted to shut him down. Earlier that year, when Tessa had first arrived at Camp Jupiter, she'd discovered that Charlie had quite the crush on her. After she got back together with Kaden, they managed to remain friends, but Tessa still felt hesitant when it came to being alone with him.

However, Tessa sighed in defeat. "Let's go."

Charlie's smile grew, and together, he and Tessa embarked back towards New Rome University. Just like always, Charlie did most of the talking, but Tessa didn't mind listening. Had she tried to speak in moments like this, she might have burst into tears or skewered the nearest person with Tempest out of frustration. She decided not to figure out which it would be that time.

Before she knew it, the trails of Camp Jupiter morphed into the cobblestone paths of New Rome University, and the familiar scent of espresso and old books filled the air. Tessa shut her eyes, basking in the autumn chill, as if the slight bite of the wind could wash away her worries.

"Do you have someplace particular that you need to be?" Charlie queried, glancing down at her with his teal irises. His visage was one of partial concern, not the love-filled gaze he once used to reflect upon her; he wanted to make sure she was okay, despite her protests that she already was.

Tessa shook her head, brushing a few strands of her hair out of her face. "No, but I can take it from here. Thank you, Charlie." She smiled up at him quickly.

"Not a problem," The son of Vulcan mirrored her grin and turned on his heel. Tessa watched as he disappeared around the corners of the campus, and as soon as he was gone, she embarked on her own aimless path.

As Tessa walked, she wasn't quite sure where she was going. She needed to clear her head, that much was for sure. However, after that, she didn't know what to do. Her mind would only trail back to her demons, and that was one inevitability that Tessa wanted to avoid for as long as possible.

~~

Caffeine seemed to be the way to get Tessa's mind off of her troubles.

The next morning, Tessa utilized the silence of Sunday to her advantage. She took her school-work to the campus coffee shop, set up shop, and drank her weight in coffee. Kaden would probably nag her about the effects it would have on her health down the road, but her caffeine addiction would prove to be the least of her worries at this rate.

However, Tessa's bliss wouldn't last for long. Even with her phone turned off, her friends managed to find her.

"There she is!" Dale's voice tore above the low murmur of the coffee shop, and Tessa glanced up tiredly from her computer screen.

"Yes?" She deadpanned, watching as the daughter of Demeter came racing towards her. On either side, she was flanked by Reese, Imogen, and Kaden; all donning relieved looks.

"We've been looking for you all morning," Imogen tossed over her shoulder, walking up to the counter to place an order.

Tessa sighed, shutting her laptop as her friends pulled up around her. Imogen returned shortly after, distributing the drinks for Dale, Reese, and Kaden, before sitting down herself.

"Did I miss something?" Tessa arched an eyebrow, taking a sip of her drink.

Kaden shook his head, his green irises electric with excitement. "No, not exactly. There's just something we need your feedback on."

Tessa scanned her friends' visages; they all seemed excited, and yet timid, as if they were hiding something worth knowing. "Alright, spit it out, what is it?"

"Here's a hint," Reese clapped his hands together, pointing them at Tessa. "It has to do with you and a very special day."

It took Tessa longer than she would have liked to admit to pinpoint the answer. She gave them all a sideways look, inhaling sharply. "My birthday."

"Not just any birthday," Imogen clarified, her jade eyes sparkling with mischief. "Your eighteenth birthday."

For some reason, that made Tessa feel all fuzzy inside. She used to see her birthdays with a grain of salt, as if they were just checkpoints of another year survived. But now, on such a pivotal age to turn, she was more or less free from that. Or so she liked to hope. And yet, on September 17th, six days from now, she'd be turning eighteen.

Tessa shook her head, laughing under her breath. "Alright, what did you need my feedback on?"

Kaden cleared his throat, making eye contact with the others. Dale, Imogen, and Reese all sighed in three-part harmony, getting up from their seats and leaving Kaden to take it away.

"I brought them for moral support, but I just wanted to let you know that I'll plan everything for your birthday," Kaden gripped her hands, practically radiating happiness. "So don't worry about a thing."

Tessa smiled, searching Kaden's emerald eyes. "Nothing too big, alright, Gray?"

Kaden made a look of mock offense. "Me? Going overboard with celebrations? What a concept."

Tessa shook her head, giggles racking her figure. "You really are your mother's son sometimes."

"Why, thank you."

"You are welcome."

Kaden and Tessa laughed, smiling into one another's eyes. And just like that, everything felt right for a few moments, no sign of the demons that were plaguing her. Kaden's presence was the light that dispelled the darkness, and in that moment, that was enough.

"Alright, now come on," Imogen clapped her hands together, sauntering back towards Kaden and Tessa. "Up you go, Brennan."

Tessa furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion, watching as Dale went one way to stuff her laptop into her bag, and Imogen went the other to whisk Tessa away. "What's going on?"

"We," Dale chimed, a mischievous look in her golden irises. "are going birthday shopping."

Tessa sighed in defeat, but allowed her friends to escort her out of the coffee shop and through campus, Kaden and Reese fighting a laugh now at the forefront of her memory.

~~

"Do you guys not have school-work?" Tessa asked, browsing a rack of clothing in the store they were in. She glanced over it, watching as Imogen rifled through the hung up selections and drawing a few out.

"We do," The daughter of Cupid answered, centered on finding the price tag attached to the shirt she'd chosen. "And we finished it."

Tessa looked taken aback. "Says the girl going into pre-law. I'd expect for you to have more complicated assignments."

Imogen smiled at her knowingly. "Firstly, we're demigods; our course curriculum is different than that of a mortal's. Secondly, it's a week into the semester. There's not much that's heavy."

Tessa weighed her words, taking them into consideration. Maybe it was her own fault for double majoring in English and marine biology; that'd explain a lot of her workload.

"And," Dale folded her arms over the rack between Tessa and Imogen. "I'm undecided so I'm taking a whole bunch of random classes right now until I see what fits."

Imogen pointed a finger at the daughter of Demeter. "Smart move."

"I try."

Tessa laughed, stepping away from the rack and walking over to the center of the store, decked out in stands of accessories and jewelry. Her friends followed her like hawks, keeping careful eyes out for anything that sparked her interest.

"So do either of you know what Kaden has up his sleeves for my birthday?" Tessa asked, tearing her gaze from the shelf of jewelry.

Dale smirked, flicking the fabric of a scarf on display. "Most likely something dramatic and romantic."

"This is Gray we're talking about, after all," Imogen wiggled her eyebrows. "Maybe he's got some...other things planned."

Tessa felt her cheeks burn at Imogen's suggestion, averting her gaze to hide it. However, judging from the giggles filling the air behind her, she hadn't succeeded.

"Anyways," Tessa stressed the word, her gaze catching on a silver bracelet that she knew Madi would have liked. And just like that, flashes of what she'd seen in her half-sister's room the day before came flooding back, until Tessa was hyperventilating and wiping her hands on her pants as if to get rid of the blood that had once stained them.

The next thing Tessa knew, she was sitting outside the shop, on the hardwood of the mall's hallways. Dale and Imogen were crouched before her, faces etched with concern.

"Tessa?" Dale asked. "Are you alright?"

The daughter of Poseidon took a shaky breath, cursing her misfortune. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Imogen cut her off, arms folded across her chest. "Tessa, what's wrong? You can tell us, we're your friends."

Tessa's turquoise gaze flitted from Imogen to Dale, and the words began to well up in her throat. And so the dam broke.

Tessa filled her friends in on everything she'd seen with Madi, from her tense behavior the scene out of a horror movie that was her room. She told them about the photographs covered in blood, the messages inked in the same way across the photos and her mirror. With each detail she explained, Tessa felt a small weight lift off of her shoulders. She still had more to carry, but at least this burden was now shared.

Dale shook her head, her tan skin paling. "Madi's got a stalker. But who?"

"No idea," Tessa exhaled. "But whoever it is, I won't rest until I find them."

"Have you seen Madi at all since yesterday?" Imogen asked.

Tessa shook her head, a flare of panic erupting in her figure. What if something happened to Madi? Tessa's own carelessness, her own distraction and apprehension could very well be the reason if Madi was gone.

"Okay," Imogen breathed. "I'll call Reese and ask him to find her and watch over her." With that, the blonde daughter of Cupid dug out her phone and held it to her ear, walking a few paces away.

"I'll call Kaden," Tessa decided, fingers trembling as she pulled out her phone. However, it appeared she wouldn't have to. Her phone was already ringing, Kaden's name and a photo of him and Tessa lighting up the screen.

Tessa frowned in confusion, accepting the call and holding the phone up to her ear. "Hey, babe, what's up?"

"I need you to come back right now. Something's wrong." Kaden said from the other side. His tone seemed tense, and Tessa could imagine that he was running his free hand through his hair, pacing the floor.

Tessa knit her eyebrows together, her own panic for Madi melding with the readiness unfolding around her. "Why, what's wrong?"

Kaden exhaled. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

And so Kaden told her, and just like that, Tessa's head cleared. She felt her muscles go slack with shock, before tightening altogether in fury. She bid Kaden a quick goodbye, hanging up off the phone and pushing herself to her feet.

"Tessa, what's wrong?" Dale called, already starting to jog after her.

Tessa didn't answer, she only kept running and hoped that she and her friends would make it back to the valley in time.

~~

After the girls left on their impromptu shopping trip, Kaden headed back to the Principia to finish up some reports that he'd left for the last minute. He would have invited Reese along to help, but seeing as his best friend had his own work to do, the boys parted ways.

Now that it had become his workplace and his home, Kaden had mixed feelings about the Principia. The praetorian building was the mid-point from the university to Camp Jupiter, so he wasn't sure how he felt having school, work, and home so close together. Where did one end and the other begin? Nonetheless, anytime Kaden stepped foot into the immaculate building, he felt its power reflect upon him. Now a praetor, this building was at Kaden's full disposal, and he would do his best to live up to his own title and those of the praetors who had come before him.

Kaden scribbled his signature on the last report, sighing in relief as he shut the file it belonged to. He'd been at it for two hours now, and had he gone any longer, he probably would have gotten carpal tunnel.

The son of Venus pushed away from his desk, carrying the file over to the cabinet it belonged to. Just when he'd shut the drawer, a flicker of movement caught his eye.

Kaden turned his head ever so slightly, waiting for any sign of an attack as his hand inched towards his golden ring. Nothing seemed to be there, and with a tired sigh, he walked away from the cabinet.

"You're seeing things, Gray, relax." He muttered to himself. Ever since he spotted his look-a-like in San Francisco, Kaden had been on edge. The smallest movement startled him if he was caught off guard, and while it was embarrassing at times, he doubted anyone else would have handled the situation differently had they been in his shoes.

And as he made his way back around his desk, Kaden couldn't fight the feeling of unease the swept over him again. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard footsteps in the hall outside his office.

Kaden took a deep breath, settling his nerves. He slipped his ring off of his finger, watching as it turned into his golden sword in a sudden burst of light. The reassurance that came from being armed helped calm him down, but he couldn't tell if it was his heartbeat echoing through the air or footsteps just outside his door.

And that's when his door-knob turned.

Kaden tensed, watching as the door swung open, and feeling his blood run cold at the sight of who it was. A face he hadn't seen in over a year, and could have gone his whole life without seeing again.

"Kaden Gray," Matthew Baines said from the doorway, a smile unlike one Kaden had ever seen on his face. "So we meet again."